Pilot to give free lunches to children at York primary
The "Hungry Minds" scheme at Westfield Community starts today
An scheme to give free school meals to all children at a York primary schools begins today.
The pilot will provide free school lunches to Key Stage 2 children (Years 3-6) at Westfield Community Primary School and is being funded by City of York Council.
A pilot providing free breakfasts to all children at Burton Green Primary School, York, will start in early 2024.
Cllr Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council, said,
“Tackling disadvantage and supporting all our residents during the cost-of-living crisis was a manifesto commitment for the administration and has now been enshrined in the Council Plan, One City for all.
"That contains a commitment to becoming an anti-poverty city, including supporting young people and families, through reducing food insecurity and exploring the benefits of free school meals for all primary school children. I’m delighted that, thanks to some truly generous donations, we’re able to start to meet what is an absolute priority for the council and roll out the free school meals pilot to a second school in York."
Cllr Bob Webb, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said,
"Seeing our partners come together in this way to provide support to the city's commitments, and to the futures of our children is truly inspirational and I thank those who have been so quick to step up and make this initial work happen.
"We know that there are real benefits for our children of these measures, in terms of attendance, attention to learning and in terms of physical and mental wellbeing. And while there is more to do to make this happen in all of our schools, this is a significant step in the right direction, and I am thankful to everyone who is involved in making this work."